A Map of the Dark

Maureen Ellis is a keen reader in the crime genre. She regularly posts on Goodreads.com

Mulholland Books

RRP: £19.39

Released: January 02, 2018

Hbk

A
Map of the Dark introduces us to FBI
agent Elsa Myers, and to what appears to be the first in a new police
procedural series.

Elsa is at the bedside of her
terminally ill father, when she gets a call to assist NYPD Detective Lex Cole.
Cole has specifically requested Elsa's help on a missing teen case, because she
has an excellent track record within the Child Abduction rapid response team.

Elsa had a difficult childhood,
and this has clearly shaped the way that she deals with these extremely
emotional cases - and she's nothing if not dedicated.

As investigations get under
way, all the clues appear to point to a ‘repeater’: someone responsible for
other missing teens. Although Lex is new to child abduction cases, he appears
to be quite adept, which comes as something of a relief to Elsa, as she
struggles to come to terms with her father’s imminent death, alongside her own
personal demons.

Elsa is a very complex
character, but flashbacks to her childhood provide a comprehensive insight into
what defines her personality in the present - in fact I felt rather too much
time was dedicated to her background, leaving the investigation itself feeling
a little sparse in its construction.

After a slow start though, the
pace picks up considerably, with a few twists along the way, and although the
reveal at the end was something I was expecting, I did enjoy it overall, and I
feel that now that we've got Elsa's background out of the way, I believe the
series has great potential.